Vertically adjustable stilt for artisans and the like



p 6, 1967 J. D. TIER. 3,343,631

VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE STILT FOR ARTISANS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 1, 1966 INVENTOR. dwf/ll/ 0. 7756/ 38 I iQZW United States Patent Oflice 3,343,631 Patented Sept. 26, 1967 3,343,631 VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE STLLT FOR ARTISANS AND THE LIKE Justin D. Tiel'i, 628 Parkside NW., Grand Rapids, Mich. 49504 Filed Feb. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 524,301 7 Claims. (Cl. 182-230) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A four-legged stilt for attachment to the shoes of an artisan, in which all legs are pivotally attached to a soleplate or platform member, with the legs being arranged in pairs providing a front pair and rear pair thereof. A spring is attached between the front and rear legs in each such pair at a point spaced from the pivotal axis of the legs in an over-center arrangement which holds both sets of legs against either of a. pair of abutment means limiting their pivotal movement and holding the legs at either a raised or lowered position with respect to the platform. When the legs are raised, the platform is m effect lowered with respect to the floor, and in this position the ends of all legs contact the floor as well as does a pair of pedestal structures extending downwardly a brief distance from the bottom of the platform to support the latter centrally, between the outstretched ends of the legs.

This invention relates to elevating stilts for artisans and craftsmen, and more particularly to a unique form of self-elevating stilt by which the user may raise or lower himself whenever he desires in a moments time, in order to gain access to working areas which otherwise would be inaccessible.

The idea of using stilts has been known to artisans such as plasterers, masons, painters, and the like for some time. Initially, such artisans used the customary stilts employed by children and others for diversion and recreation, but due to the difliculty of balancing upon such stilts more stable elevating platforms quickly came into evidence, and many different types of these are in use at the present time. In most cases, however, it is inconvenient for an artisan to arrange his work so that everything he can reach without using the stilts is done at one time and everything for which stilts are needed is done at another time. Consequently, these stilts are constantly being put on and taken ofi as the work commences. This is a bothersome routine which also is wasteful of time and inefficient, and as a result a few types of vertically adjustable stilts were devised in the past for the purpose of permitting the user to wear the stilts at almost all times, since one supposedly could raise himself from a lower to a higher level for elevated work whenever he desired.

- While this general concept is a very acceptable and desirable one, some previous structures seeking to implement it were so heavy and cumbersome that they were very ineflicient to use for work at normal heights, and consequently they were only used for elevated work, thus making their adjustability of no real practical value. Other vertically adjustable stilts were less cumbersome and could be used for work at lower heights, but in order to adjust them vertically one was compelled to use at least one and usually both hands. Thus, the worker must lay down his materials, adjust the height of his stilts, and then pick up the materials once again from his heightened position. This is almost always a considerable bother and greatly reduces the advantage which adjustable stilts should provide, since it is almost as easy to use non-adjustable stilts or even a ladder or other stepping device as it is to operate the adjusting mechanism of present so-called adjustable stilts.

Accordingly, it is a major object of the present invention to provide a vertically adjustable stilt having a footoperated adjustment mechanism which is quickly and easily operated to either raise or lower the standing position of a workman utilizing such stilts.

It is a further important object of the invention to provide a stilt construction of the foregoing nature which is extremely rugged and durable and yet which is mechanically simplified and easy to manufacture.

A number of other equally desirable objects in addition to the foregoing, together with the advantages thereof, will become increasingly apparent upon consideration of the ensuing specification and its appended claims, particularly when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of th novel stilt.

In the drawings: FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the stilt, in which the legs are lowered to raise the effective height of the device;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the device as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the stilt showing the legs in the raised or horizontal position, in which the stilt is lowered; and

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the stilt in which one set of legs is in the lowered position while one set is in the raised position, illustrating the operation thereof.

Briefly stated, the present invention provides a vertically adjustable stilt construction having a platform member which the artisan stands upon and which is securable to the foot of the user, and a plurality of legs which are pivotally secured to the platform and which depend generally downwardly therefrom. The legs are arranged to have at least two pivotal positions relative to the platform, in one of which the legs are generally vertical so that the platform is raised, and in the other of which the legs pivot to lie generally horizontally, so that the platform is lowered a desired extent. Means are provided for retaining the legs in either of these positions, and such means permit the user to change the positions of the legs while standing upon the stilts and using only that foot which is secured to the stilt whose height is to be adjusted, so that the user may change his vertical standing position whenever he desires with a minimum of effort and time and without having to use either his hands or any particular tools.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings, the stilt construction 10 includes a platform member 12 and leg assemblies 14 and 16 at the front and rear, respectively, of the platform member. The platform is of a configuration designed to he stood upon with one foot, i.e., it is shaped generally like the sole and heel portions of a shoe, and thus have a front or toe portion 12a. and a rear or heel portion which preferably has a raised, arcuate ridge or flange 18, against which the heel of the shoe may be positioned. The stilt construction 10 is preferably secured to the foot of the user by straps (not specifically shown) which may be fitted through appropriate slots 20 formed in the raised flange portion 18 at the rear of the platform, and slots 24 formed in a pair of raised flanges 22 formed on each side of the platform toward the front thereof, as shown.

The platform member 12 has a pair of downwardlydepending pedestal mounting structures 26 and 28, which are symmetrically located generally centrally, between the longitudinal edges of the platform (note FIG. 2). For added strength, the pedestal structures 26 and 28 are interconnected by a longitudinal reinforcing rib 30 extending therebetween. The leg assemblies 14 and 16 are secured to the platform member 12 by a pivotal connection to the pedestal structures 26- and 28, .respectively. This may be accomplished by a pivot pin or bolt 32 or the like, which provides an axis of relative pivotal motion between each leg assembly and the platform member. As will be apparent from examining the figures, each of the pedestal structures 26 and 28 extends downwardly to the point where, when the leg assemblies are fully pivoted to lie generally horizontally (FIG. 3), the lowermost extremity of each pedestal structure is in contact with the floor or other supporting surface upon which the stilt construction rests.

The leg assemblies 14 and 16 each comprise a pair of legs such as 14a and 14b (FIG. 2) which are joined at their top to form the assembly. Each individual leg 14a or 14b may be separately formed and distinct from the other so as to be interconnectable by the pivot pin or bolt 32 and an additional bolt 34 extending therebetween, or if desired, the two legs of each leg assembly may be integrally formed, as by molding. Whichever is preferred, the individual leg portions such as 14a and 14b are elongate, curved, generally J-shaped members which are spread apart laterally of each other, preferably by an amount exceeding the width of the platform member 12. At their lowermost ends, each of the J-shaped leg members preferably has a flat heel pad 36 (FIGS. 1 and 2) for preventing any pitching or rocking of the platform when the legs are generally vertically oriented and in contact with the floor. Each leg also preferably has a rounded toe portion 38 (FIG. 3), for contacting the floor when the legs are horizontally oriented.

At their upper extremities, each of the leg assemblies 14 and 1 6 has a pair of spaced projecting lugs such as 40 and 42 (FIGS. 1 and 2), through which the pivot pins or bolts 32 pass to connect the leg assemblies to the platform member 12 at its depending pedestal structures 26 and 28. Further, each of the leg assemblies 14 and 16 have a first abutment surface 214 and 216, respectively (FIG. 1), located at their top extremities, on their outwardly-directed portions, and each such leg assembly also has a second abutment surface 314 and 316, respectively (FIG. 3), located on the inwardly-directed portions of the leg assemblies, facing each other beneath the platform member 12. Each of the pedestal structures 26 and 28 have abutment surfaces which correspond to (i.e., are arranged to be contacted by and mated with) those of the leg assemblies, just noted. Namely, surface 226 on pedestal structure 26 and surface 228 on pedestal structure 28 (FIG. 1) mate with leg assembly surfaces 214 and 216, respectively, and abutment surfaces 326 on pedestal 26 and 328 on pedestal 28 (FIG. 3) mate with leg assembly surfaces 314 and 316, respectively. All such abutment surfaces are merely generally flat surfaces formed on the corresponding pedestals or leg assemblies, with the difierent parts so arranged that when brought into abutting bearing relation, the surfaces are in substantially parallel mating contact.

As will be noted, each of the leg assemblies 14 and 16 have a pair of laterally-projecting ears such as 44 and 46 (FIGS. 1 and 2), located near the upper extremity of each assembly, spaced from the pivotal axis thereof which passes through the pivot pins 32. The cars 44, 46 have appropriate apertures formed therein, through which resilient biasing members in the form of tension springs 48 and 50 are entrained, one such spring being located on each side of the stilt construction and generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the platform 12. As will be apparent from the drawings, the tension springs resiliently pull the leg assemblies toward each other around their respective pivot axes, and these springs must be sufficiently strong to prevent the leg assemblies from pivotally slipping from their vertical to their horizontal position when the weight of an individual is placed upon the stilt construction by standing on the platform member 12. Consequently, the springs must be moderately stiff in tension, and a satisfactory geometrical configuration has been found in a spring having an outer diameter of approxi: mately /8 inch and formed from /s inch diameter spring wire.

Operation Having now described the structural features of my novel stilt construction in considerable detail, the use and operation of the stilt is as follows. It has already been pointed out that the leg assemblies 14 and 16 may be placed in either a generally horizontal or generally vertical orientation. The pivotal movement of the leg assemblies is limited at the aforesaid two positions by the direct abutment of leg surface 314 against pedestal surface 326 and the similar abutment of leg surface 31-6 against pedestal surface 328 for a vertical orientation of the legs, and a direct abutment of leg surface 214 against pedestal surface 226 and similar abutment of leg surface 216 against pedestal surface 228 (FIG. 1) for a generally horizontal leg orientation. Between these first and second positions, it will be observed that the individual legs such as 14a and 14b at each end of the platform member 12 move pivotally together as a unit, i.e., they move synchronously and in a generally parallel manner, and such is intended by the use of the latter terms throughout this application. Further, the individual leg members such as 14a and 14b will be observed from examining FIG. 2 to move in generally vertical planes.

When the leg assemblies of the stilt construction are in their downward or vertical position, it will be observed (FIG. 1) that the heel portions 36 of the legs are in generally vertical alignment with the pivotal axis through the pivot pins 32. Since the legs are spread somewhat (FIG. 2), this furnishes a very stable stilt platform upon which one may stand with complete confidence, since the platform member 12 has no tendency whatever to rock, either sideways or backwards and forwards. This positioning of the legs is firmly maintained by the pressure of the tension springs 48 and 50, which act in a straight line beneath the pivotal axes to resiliently and firmly urge the legs toward each other and maintain the abutment surfaces on the legs and pedestal structures in tight abutting contact. Thus, the user may either stand or walk upon his stilts to perform work at elevated heights.

When the user needs to lower his position, he raises one stilt construction at a time, angles his foot relative to the fioor, places the heel portion of one of the legs against the fioor, and pushes downwardly. With force applied to only one of the leg assemblies, these legs are pivoted relative to the platform member against the tension force of the springs 48 and 50', slightly resiliently extending the latter. If, for example, the rearward leg assembly 16 is thus pivoted, it will immediately move into the position shown in FIG. 4, wherein abutment surfaces 216 and 228 are brought into contact with each other and the leg assembly becomes generally horizontally positioned. When this occurs, it is to be noted that the tension springs 48 and 50 are placed at an angle. That is, the tension springs still lie below the pivotal axis of pedestal structure 26, but they now also lie above the pivotal axis of pedestal structure 2-8, at the rear. Consequently, the springs may be said to have moved over-center, in which position they continue to retain the legs in the particular orientation in which they have been placed, i.e., one leg as sembly horizontal and the other leg assembly vertical.

Next, the user merely places the ends of both leg as-. semblies against the floor and steps downward, placing his weight upon the platform member. This immediately causes the tension springs to be resiliently extended once again by the pivotal movement of the front leg assembly 14 relative to pivotal axis 32 of pedestal structure 26. The front leg assembly is pivoted upward in a clockwise direction, such that its abutment surface 214 comes into contact with abutment surface 226 on pedestal 26, which limits the pivotal movement. In this position (FIG. 3), the toe portions 38 of both leg assemblies 14 and 16 are in contact with the floor, as are the lowermost extremities of the pedestal structures 26 and 28. Consequently, the platform member 12 has been considerably lowered, and the worker now finds himself at substantially ground level. Further, and of considerable importance, the forward end of the tension springs 48 and 50 has now moved across the pivotal axis of pedestal structure 26, such that the springs are again generally horizontally oriented, but lie above both pivotal axes. (See FIG. 3.) Consequently, the entire spring has moved over-center, and the spring tension now exerted between the legs maintains them in their horizontal position, wherein the appropriate abutment surfaces are maintained in tight contact by the urgings of the tension springs. From this, it will be apparent that the springs may be said to be arranged so as to be double-acting, since in either position of either of the leg assemblies, the tension springs maintain the leg assemblies in their given position.

From the foregoing, it will be quite apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention provides for the first time a stilt for artisans and the like which the user may wear during all phases of his work, since he may raise himself or lower himself at will and without the use of his hands or any particular tool, merely by an easy manipulation of his feet. Moreover, the novel stilt construction provides an absolutely stable platform for standing upon while working, and these benefits are obtained through a preferred structure which is extremely rugged and durable, which is subject to little if any wear, and which may be economically manufactured and purchased.

It is entirely possible that upon reading and considering the foregoing disclosure those skilled in the pertinent arts may perceive for themselves other specific embodiments of the novel concept underlying the preferred structures specifically shown and described herein, or may conceive of certain minor modifications which may be made in the aforesaid specific embodiments disclosed hereinabove. All such embodiments and modifications as incorporate the concepts underlying the invention and which are clearly within its spirit are thus to be considered as within the scope of the claims appended herebelow, unless these claims by their language specifically state otherwise.

I claim:

1. A vertically adjustable stilt construction for artisans and the like, comprising in combination: a platform member arranged to be stood upon with one foot and securable to such foot; a plurality of legs depending generally downwardly from said platform and pivotally secured thereto; said platform having a first portion for limiting pivotal movement of each of said legs toward said platform by direct abutment against a part of such legs; said platform further having second portions depending downwardly therefrom for limiting pivotal movement of each of said legs away from said platform by abutment against another part of said legs; and a resilient biasing member connected to each such leg for holding the same in abutment with each of said movementlimiting platform portions when said parts of said legs are brought into contact therewith, to thereby retain such legs in a selected position.

2. The adjustable stilt construction of claim 1, wherein said resilient biasing members are connected to said legs at a point spaced from the pivotal axis thereof and located to move across said axis when said legs are moved from one to the other of said limits, such that said biasing members have an over-center double-acting operation.

3. The adjustable stilt construction of claim 2, wherein said resilient biasing members include at least one spring connected between a pair of said legs, said spring arranged to move across the pivotal axis of each such leg when the same is moved from one of its limits to the other thereof.

4. The adjustable stilt construction of claim 1, wherein said legs when pivoted toward said platform are brought to a generally horizontal position and when pivoted away from said platform are brought to a generally vertical position, wherein said legs when limited in their generally horizontal positions by said abutment of said leg parts and platform portions support said platform above a support surface contacted by end portions of each such leg, and wherein said second platform portions have a downwardly-depending length sufiicient to bring the ends thereof into contact with said support surface, to thereby support said platform centrally of said leg end extremities.

5. The adjustable stilt construction of claim 2, wherein said legs when pivoted toward said platform are brought to a generally horizontal position and when pivoted away from said platform are brought to a generally vertical position, wherein said legs when limited in their generally horizontal positions by said abutment of said leg parts and platform portions support said platform above a support surface contacted by end portions of each such leg, and wherein said second platform portions have a downwardly-depending length suflicient to bring the ends thereof into contact with said support surface, to thereby support said platform centrally of said leg end extremities.

6. The adjustable stilt construction of claim 3, wherein said legs when pivoted toward said platform are brought to a generally horizontal position and when pivoted away from said platform are brought to a generally vertical position, wherein said legs when limited in their generally horizontal positions by said abutment of said leg parts and platform portions support said platform above a support surface contacted by end portions of each such leg, and wherein said second platform portions have a downwardly-depending length suflicient to bring the ends thereof into contact with said support surface, to thereby support said platform centrally of said leg end extremities.

7. The adjustable stilt construction of claim 6, wherein two of said legs are connected to said platform near the front thereof to form a front leg group, said legs in said front group being interconnected, wherein two of said legs are connected to said platform near the rear thereof to form a rear leg group, said legs in said rear group being interconnected, and wherein said spring is connected between a leg in said front group and a leg in said rear group located on a common side of said platform.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 773,721 11/ 1904 Duvall 10 8-144 1,367,376 2/1921 Groh 36-7.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 326,906 3 193 0 Great Britain.

REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner. 

1. A VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE STILT CONSTRUCTION FOR ARTISANS AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A PLATFORM MEMBER ARRANGED TO BE STOOD UPON WITH ONE FOOT AND SECURABLE TO SUCH FOOT; A PLURALITY OF LEGS DEPENDING GENERALLY DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID PLATFORM AND PIVOTALLY SECURED THERETO; SAID PLAFROM HAVING A FIRST PORTION FOR LIMITING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF EACH OF SAID LEGS TOWARD SAID PLATFORM BY DIRECT ABUTMENT AGAINST A PART OF SUCH LEGS; SAID PLATFORM FURTHER HAVING SECOND PORTIONS DEPENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM FOR LIMITING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF EACH OF SAID LEGS AWAY FROM SAID PLATFORM BY ABUTMENT AGAINST ANOTHER PART OF SAID LEGS; AND A RESILIENT BIASING MEMBER CONNECTED TO EACH SUCH LEG FOR HOLDING THE SAME IN ABUTMENT WITH EACH OF SAID MOVEMENTLIMITING PLATFORM PORTIONS WHEN SAID PARTS OF SAID LEGS ARE BROUGHT INTO CONTACT THEREWITH, TO THEREBY RETAIN SUCH LEGS IN A SELECTED POSITION. 